I live in a small apartment in the city complete with a kitchen in which Barbie would feel cramped. I have a gas stove, 4-top range with an oven that works beautifully, but I don’t have much in the way of space to either prep, clean, or store a ton of pots and pans.

Tall sides help prevent messes and make it easy to stir-fry.

I’ve always been a fan of cast iron cooking, but after a few weeks of digging around and trying to manage my limited space, I decided it was time to simply and embrace a paradigm shift.

From now on, I would primarily rely on one or two pans for cooking and adapt my recipes to these pans as best I could. I kept a small nonstick pan handy for making eggs and made my dutch oven the centerpiece of my cooking experience.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to incorporate a dutch oven into your routine, even if you do have plenty of space:

Versatility. You can cook just about anything with a dutch oven. Stovetop or oven, it’s ready for anything.

Simplicity. I’m a big fan of stir frying because it requires little in the way of prep, is relatively healthy, and I can switch up the veggies and meat as I need. I come home from work, throw my ingredients in a hot pan, and in a few minutes my dinner is ready.

Makes clean-up a snap. The sides of the 5-qt dutch oven are tall, which helps me avoid making a mess. It reduces splatters from the oil and reduces the chance that my veggies will fly out of the pan.

Look cool. After the dutch oven is cool, rinse it out, wipe it down, and leave it on the stove. People will know you’re a hard core cast-iron aficionado. They will love you for it.

I don’t get any credit for promoting them, but my favorite dutch ovens and other cookware all come from Lodge Cast Iron.

Virtues

Affordability. Huel can definitely make a positive impact on your food budget.

Versatility. Lots of ways to use the product and plenty of good recipes.

Great marketing. The company makes a compelling case for Huel’s role in reducing food waste, helping people stay healthy, and providing a convenient alternative to eating junk food.

Limitations

Digestive discomfort. I found this to be a minimal–but noticeable–characteristic. Not a deal breaker in my book.

Lack of variation. Requires some effort to avoid product fatigue.

Food without complexity. Not nearly as satisfying as real food. I love crunch and texture. Not easy to replicate with Huel.

What brought me to Huel

Some weeks ago I did a survey of my eating habits and realized that, nutritionally speaking, my diet was not a pretty picture. This came as something of a surprise to me because I’ve always loved fresh vegetables and fruits, I prefer a low-meat diet, and I generally avoid the most unhealthy fast food and snack items. My impression of my eating habits was something along the lines of I’m no saint when it comes to eat healthy, but I’m not a total sinner, either.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. My diet was a wreck!

It’s not that I don’t want to eat healthy, but between my schedule (I work two jobs) and the awkwardness of cooking for one, there were just too many opportunities and excuses for me to take the easy route and make some bad dietary choices. Sometimes the issue was money. Often it was convenience. Whatever! Time to try something new.

I began thinking about some of the meal replacement options that are out there. Many of them are branded for fitness buffs (which I am not) or people who are trying to lose weight (meh, I could do to lose a few pounds, but I’m comfortable with who I am.)

After doing a little research on a few brands, I decided to go with HUEL. Here’s what appealed to me about the product:

The quality of the ingredients. Huel is plant-based, so it’s a vegan product and although I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, I know that incorporating more plant-based nutrition into my diet is good for me and the plant. Plus, no animals are harmed in the making of this product.

Balanced nutrition. This was the main impetus behind my decision to try Huel. It’s not some crazy, lop-sided nutritional supplement that promises to help me shred my body or give me the energy of a psychotic baboon during the mating season.

Protein & Fiber. Huel provides both without throwing my diet out of whack. The fiber component was especially important to me, because I often don’t get optimal levels of fiber. I want fiber without the excessive carbs, and Huel gets the ratio right.

Budget. Depending on how you use Huel and how often, it can definitely provide a great ROI with regard to your food budget.

Convenience. I keep a bag of Huel and the provided mixer at my work desk. For days when I don’t have time for real breakfast (ok that’s everyday) I can mix up a shake at my desk with no mess. 500 calorie breakfast, no problem.

My Experience

I’ve been eating (as opposed to just using) Huel for about 3 months. At first, I followed the recommendations and only ate Huel once a day for about 2 weeks. I used it almost always for breakfast. I definitely felt more energized and took great satisfaction in knowing that I was finally eating well.

The only downside of my initial experience was GI discomfort. Sorry to get too graphic or personal, but Huel did make me gassy and sometimes made me feel bloated. Both effects diminished on the weekends, when I didn’t consume the product.

After my initial experience, I started to modify my use so that I only used Huel three days a week. This was helpful, but the side effects remained. This is not a deal breaker in my book, and it may very well be the result of eating more fiber and better nutrition than my poor GI is used to handling.

Incorporating Huel with other foods has worked best for me.

As of today, I use Huel a little differently. Instead of mixing up a shake each morning that is comprised of three scoops of Huel powder and water, I make a shake of a mixture of fruits and veggies, and add 1 to 2 scoops of Huel. This is both more flavorful and more agreeable to my digestive system.

I still use Huel from time to time as a full meal replacement on its own. I just don’t do so each day. I’m also fond of using it as my post-workout replenishment drink.

Verdict & Recommendations

I like Huel.

It’s a helpful part of my nutritional routine and I feel good about eating it. The company’s branding strategy is well designed and feels genuine. As long as they keep their promise to be part of a holistic solution to nutrition and food scarcity issues, I’ll be a believer.

What I want to see are more products in the Huel line. I know they’ve recently introduced Huel bars, but that’s not in the U.S. at this time. They need to keep it interesting and innovative.

For those of you considering Huel, here is my advice:

Figure out how the product works best for you, and use it in that capacity. Also, be prepared to create your own recipes in order to avoid fatigue with the product. I like to whip up a shake full of fresh greens, and then throw a scoop or two of Huel in for good measure. But from time to time I will still just mix up a shaker of Huel and use that as a substitute for a meal.

Cast iron adds an extra level of scrumptiousness to any recipe, but these rolls are a TKO in my book. They take a little time to prepare (they are a yeast bread) but the recipe is simple and straightforward. Prepare these for company and I promise you will be asked for the recipe!

Here’s what you need for about 12 rolls:

2-1/2 – 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 envelopes Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise yeast

3 TBSP sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 c water

2 TBSP Mazola corn oil

4 TBSP butter, divided

Directions

Mix 1 cup of the flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl

Heat water, oil, and 2 TBSP of the butter until very warm (120 – 130 F)

Add to the flour mixture

Beat two minutes at a medium speed with an electric mixer, scraping sides occasionally

Add 1/2 cup of flour

Beat 2 minutes at high speed

Stir in enough remaining flour to create a soft dough

Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes or so, until the dough is smooth and elastic

Cover and let rise until doubled in size

OK, the hard part is over! If you’re new to proofing dough, there’s nothing to it. It works best when the dough is left in a warm area. I usually just leave my dough in the pan and set it near the stove while the oven is heating. DO NOT SET IN THE OVEN OR ON THE STOVE. But near it. Gentle heat. Nothing to it. You should end up with something that looks like

Now, the first thing you’re going to want to do is to grease your cast-iron skillet. For this batch, I used generic shortening from the store. I actually prefer to use lard most of the time, but in either case you really want a fat that is thick and solid at room temperature. SLATHER that stuff on. Not too much, but be generous. It will also help condition (season) your pan.

So now you have a greased skillet and some proofed dough. Let’s finish this!

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. You can adjust the size and number if you like.

Place each of the 12 rolls into the greased skillet (a 10″ or 12″ skillet will work great).

Cover the skillet and let rise for a second time, about 30 – 45 minutes or until doubled in size.